Little Actions That go a Long Way to Growing Your Creativity

Boosting your creativity does not have to be a difficult task. Being a more creative person requires the habit of engaging in creative thought processes. There are many ways to increase the amount of times you engage in those processes. Some are easier than others, but none require any drastic life changes. For example, one simple way to boost your creativity is to surround yourself with diverse individuals. Trying a new hobby can give you a double boost in creative power. Not only will you meet new people with different backgrounds, personalities and experiences, but you’ll also gain the benefit of a new activity that challenges your mind.


How about spending time with children under the age of 6? Children are very creative. They are not inhibited by the worries of what others will think of them. This allows them to think freely and openly. We allow ourselves to lose this ability as we become adults. By spending time with children, we are encouraged to revisit this part of ourselves. So....go fly a kite!


New experiences expand your creative power. Attend a cultural celebration. Visit a museum, especially if they are featuring an unfamiliar artist. Listen to a new radio station or a band you never imagined you would enjoy. Just get out there and try something new. Watch a foreign film. You can also eat and drink different foods and beverages. Experience the new tastes and textures of foods from other countries, regions, and restaurants. How do these new experiences boost your creative power? New experiences help to create new neural pathways in your brain. This can help you see your world from a new perspective, a very important quality for creativity.


Experience everything fully, even everyday tasks. Take a walk in the woods and truly listen to the sounds, smell the air, feeling nature, and take it all in. Expand your mind by exercising all of your senses in a new or familiar environment. Small changes in your current environment can also boost your creative power. Drive a different way to work. Change the lunch you eat. Pretend you are a tourist in your own town. What would you do this weekend if you were a visitor?


Relax and de-stress. Exercising regularly stimulates endorphins, which reduce stress. A person who manages stress well will most likely be more creative. They spend less effort on unproductive worry and more time thinking positive and creative thoughts. Meditate, look at old family photos, take a bubble bath, or do whatever makes you feel good. Living your best life will broaden your horizons and boost your creativity.


Thomas Watson, Sr., former President of IBM, said, “Success is on the far side of failure.” Be willing to be impractical and willing to make mistakes. Creativity and original thinking is all about expansion, not contraction. Sometimes the best discoveries are found by accident. Attempting to see other points of view will increase the range of your thoughts and the possibilities that are open to you.


Boosting your creative power doesn't have to be a big strain. By trying simple things such as a new hobby or spending time with a young child, you can enhance your creative abilities. Seeking new experiences and making small changes to your current environment also increases creativity. Broaden your horizons while exercising your brain and the habit of being a creative thinker will follow.

Creating a Great Piece of Art, Not Just a Good One.

With creativity comes the decisions about how hard to work on a particular project. Discipline usually goes hand in hand with accomplishment. Just as action is necessary for any kind of success.

I illustrate this idea with a pencil portrait of a young girl. She is a very pretty and lively girl and doesn't need extra decoration around her. I nonetheless chose to place her in front of an interesting batik wall hanging when I took pictures of her....and furthermore decided to draw the background. I probably spent as long on the design in the back as on the actual portrait. Did I have to do that for a pleasing portrait? No. Does it help in creating a memorable statement. I believe so.

We all have to pick and choose our battles. Go ahead and have the discipline to create unique and personal statements in whatever medium you express yourself. The effort will be worth it.

Dreams are a Source for Creative Ideas

Creativity does not happen in vacuum. It is usually fostered by something that’s already there and already swimming around in your head. That is why dreams are so important. Dreams allow us to tap into those ideas. In our waking hours, we are focused on the thoughts of the conscious mind. In our dreams, our subconscious mind takes over. We explore our thoughts without judgment or reservation, with reckless abandon.


Dreams tap into the mind's wonderful ability to imagine, to remember, to evaluate, and to synthesize. They mimic a significant stage in creativity: you guessed it, brainstorming! When you deprive yourself of sleep, you deprive yourself of the necessary dream time needed to recharge your batteries and be inspired. Dreams have been the spark of inspiration for many talented and creative individuals from many professions. Artists, philosophers, scientists and inventors have all given credit to dreams for their inspiration.


Creative genius Edgar Allen Poe has attributed much of his creative prowess to dreams. They inspired the mood and themes of his stories. Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology once wrote, "All my works, all my creative activity, has come from those initial fantasies and dreams which began in 1912, almost fifty years ago. Everything that I accomplished in later life was already contained in them, although at first only in the form of emotions and images." Even musical artist, Billy Joel, reports he experiences his music in his dreams before he makes it a reality.


Everyone dreams. Those that say they do not simply do not remember their dreams. Since dreams can be a great source of inspiration, make the most out of them. As soon as you wake up from a wonderful dream, write it down. Keep a writing pad or a dream journal beside your bed for accessibility. This will help you remember all of the fabulous details. Write down key points that answer the five Ws and one H. Who was there? What were you doing? How did you do it? This can also be a great way of finding out what it is you really want out of life. Try sketching your dreams out with your own pictures. Think about how the story would continue. Remember creativity is merging our information and experiences in new and different ways.


One important way to maximize dream time is to get enough sleep every night. Adults need an average of 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. While teenagers may need to sleep a little longer to truly be at their best. When you try to remember your dreams after a restful night’s sleep, there are some tips to make the recall easier. First, try remembering the events of the dream backwards. If you get stumped, simply ask yourself, “What activity was I engaged in before that?” If you notice recurring events that could not possibly happen in real life, do not ignore them. Keep track of them, as they are your proof that you are dreaming. As you boost your creativity, these dream signs may come in handy. Could you develop a story or song around them? Aha! Dreams have presented yet another way to use your creative genius.


Dreams are the brains way of exercising our creativity. Dreams take our library of thoughts, experiences, and knowledge and create an exciting experience for everyone. Everyone has the power to dream and be creative! Many popular artists and creative geniuses have said that they were inspired by their dreams. Keep a dream journal so you can record your dreams. Look for patterns and recurring things. Get the right amount of sleep, and be open to your dreams recklessly exploring your subconscious thoughts. No matter what you do, feel free to dream. Worst case scenario is you don't become inspired and you are simply watching a movie. Relax and enjoy the film you create!

Creativity and Your Subject

Robert, pencil drawing 30x40 inches

I love to capture people's personality in a portrait. Despite the fact that the artwork must look like the subject, there is still a lot of room for creativity. All the environment is open to manipulation. Really take a look at who your subject is and you will get clues as to what interesting items you can include in the picture. You can choose an expressive pose. You can show important aspects of your sitter's nature.

Relax and Be Creative

When no longer constrained by the limitations of conscious control, our subconscious minds have a far greater capacity than we can possibly imagine! So, it is up to us to give the subconscious the room it needs to arrive at solutions to our problems. The best way to allow our subconscious that space to achieve creative problem solving is to be patient and believe that the answer will come.

Patience is a challenge because most of us want instant gratification. We have been trained by media and advertising to want things quickly. Be patient and allow the solution to come at the right time, which may not be right now. Assuming you have done some research, brainstormed and put some effort into this, patience will have its rewards. Next, belief is necessary for any success to happen. You must have belief in yourself, your creative abilities, and your subconscious mind. Trust and faith are other good words to use here. Trust that you have done the work. Have faith that you have looked at the problem from multiple viewpoints, that you have been open-minded and asked for input form others. Trust and believe that your problem is worth solving! One last thing to do is to assign this project to your subconscious. Literally tell your mind to take care of, and then let it go. This means, you need to go do something else other than just think about your problem.

Do whatever you need to do to get into a relaxed state. Go walk around the block. Execute some jumping jacks. Listen to some good music. Standing, stretching and walking around the room may be enough. This should help you get in a more positive mental frame of mind.
Enjoy!

Art, Passion and Creativity

Chrome to the Bone, Carbon pencil and Prismacolor

You will inevitably be more creative when you are passionate. Don't try to be creative just to imitate someone...be creative to suit yourself, your goals and interests. I love drawing shiny objects. That love keeps my attention focused long enough to produce a drawing like the one pictured above.

Gathering Information

I place this first in my list of 7 Tips to being more creative. It's important to have a lot of information for generating many ideas. If you don't know enough about the subject area, it will be difficult to see all the possibilities. Even if you THINK you know a lot about the subject, take the time to gather information. There may be new information added in the last few months, new developments and research.

The challenges in the information gathering phase are organization and memory. How do you organize all the information that may be new to you and how do you remember most of it when it comes time to brainstorm?

A key activity is visualizing. Mind mapping is a great diagram information. This will help you remember it.

Tony Buzan, a proponent of the techniques of mind mapping and mental literacy, suggests using mind mapping to take notes. Some of us may not want to change our note taking habits. We can still use a mind map to organize all the information available so we can visually see what we know.

Take a look at the Wikepedia entry about Mind mapping:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_mapping

Basically, you are diagramming your thinking. You are also able to represent your thoughts in a non-linear fashion. Instead of a neat list where each point is placed one by one, a mind map is organized in a circular, radiating fashion. Ideas can then flow from the central theme in a series of branches extending form the central focus.

Keep in mind that a characteristic of creative geniuses is their ability to create wide ranging associations between concepts, ideas and subject areas.

Mind mapping can help you organize and remember information. Mind mapping can also help you create new associations with the information you have available.

If you are truly interested in changing how your brain works and the thoughts you think regularly, take a look at this program called Holosync. It actually changes (for the better!) how the brain functions. If you find that you have difficulty practicing what you know will help you, this may offer a solution. The Holosync program has been of great benefit to me, allowing me to have less anxiety and worry, which then allows me to think more clearly.

Click the link to find out more:
Instant Meditation

Creativity: Bring out the Child in You

People that think they are not creative are simply experiencing a creativity block. The truth is you are never too old to be creative. The problem is as we grow older, we lose our childlike creativity. From infancy to the age of 4, we are generally thinking ‘why not?’ From age 4 to eleven, most of us wonder why about almost everything. However, after age 12, we generally remain in a ‘because’ state of mind. We lose our childlike sense of wonderment and curiosity.

As we grow older, we become more concerned with what others think of us. It is not as attractive to be considered different or strange. As adults, most of us resolve to live a life of coloring inside the lines. At work, we worry about remaining confined to policies and procedures. Our personal lives are often nonexistent or incredibly structured or routine. It would seem creativity has no place in adult life. Contrary to popular belief, being creative could quite possibly make adult life even better. Increased creativity certainly aids in problem solving and makes it easy to as it can lead to discovering new interests, hobbies, and activities.

Children are very creative because they are always asking questions. They are always thinking about the stories behind things or how to use ordinary things differently. Think about it, don’t children often make drums out of household items that we’ve never thought of using for anything other than its primary function? Children make up characters and personas and have a great time doing it. If you want to be more creative as an adult, bring back some of those childlike qualities. There are some fun activities you can do to truly bring back that childlike creative spirit.

Make your own greeting cards for a day that isn’t a holiday. You could make a card to celebrate a specific season like summer or fall. The occasion, or lack thereof, is purely your choice! Create the drawing or graphic for the card. Write the cover and the inside. Mail them to your friends, especially those you haven’t talked to in a while. The unexpected gift may make them want to reach out to you. Creative people surround themselves with diverse people so mail your cards to a wide range of people that you know.

Write your own story. Take a moment to yourself without distractions or interruptions. Think long and hard about the life you truly desire to live. Be specific. Know the details and be as vivid as possible with your description. If you feel blocked, take time away from your story and come back to it later. Try to write at least 1,000 words. When you’ve finish your story, try to illustrate it to get a visual picture. Do not worry if your drawings are only stick figures. This story is just for you in order to boost your creative and create some focus around living your best life.

Lastly, and most importantly, do not be afraid to be different or strange. Urge yourself and others to “think outside of the box.” It may sound very cliché, but, being inside a box can’t ever be good for any living thing so why not be outside of it. In the winter, if you build a snowman, do you have to use a carrot for a nose and coal for eyes? What if you used different materials? What if you built a snowwoman instead of a snowman? Don’t those options sound exciting? The variety of possibilities is infinite.

Being an adult does not have to mean being uncreative. In fact, it should be quite the contrary in order to live your best life. Remembering your childlike sense of wonder will help enhance your creativity abilities. Try activities such as writing your best life in a story or sending homemade greeting cards to old friends and new friends. Just try something different and new. Be willing to be strange and open to diversity and differences. The results could be truly amazing.

A Bit About Me...

Here's a few FAQ's:
1. How long have you been doing this (art, that is)?
I've been drawing ever since I can remember. I would draw these little, plastic animals while my Mom took her French lessons. I'd draw our furniture. I'd draw designs and curly-cues. A new and better version of a Christmas tree would appear each year. I drew ants, birthday cakes, sea shells, clouds....you get the idea. I've been a self-employed artist since July, 2000.
2. Did you go to school for this?
Yes and No. I have a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois. I learned a lot, mostly because I was painting and drawing all of the time for two years! I've learned so much since then. For example:
-How to make professional looking business cards out of leftovers.
-How to paint bushes in three colors and FAST.
-How to keep acrylic paints wet long enough to blend them, sort of.
-How I wouldn't trade what I do for a desk job!
3. Well, what did you do before?
My more mundane jobs have included waiting tables and counter help at a fast food joint and a dry cleaners ( I moved up to stain removal and pressing! ). I sold computers for about a year, just before the *new* Pentiums came out. The most rewarding and well-paying jobs have all been some form of college teaching. I assisted people in reaching their creative potential.
I have taught drawing, figure drawing, and portrait drawing. The painting courses included both oil and watercolor. I also taught lecture classes: art appreciation and the history of western art.
The last school to have me on their faculty was a computer school. So, I learned some graphics software including an animation program (3D MAX). It was cool for awhile but, look what I'm doing now: painting stuff by hand, mmm.

Tips on Tapping into Creativity

Most people think of a genius as someone with an extraordinarily high intelligence based on a psychological test. However, there are other types of geniuses. Have you ever heard the phrase creative genius? Mozart, Shakespeare, and, even in some cases, The Beatles were considered creative geniuses. When you hear such names, it seems almost impossible for you to be that creative too. It’s more than possible! The power to be a creative genius exists in you right now. Right now, that statement may not seem real to you, but I am going to show you how to tap into your creative genius.

There are some things you can do to tap into your creative power. The brain is like a muscle in the sense it needs to be exercised. Being creative is exercising your brain. For example, when you think of a creative solution to a problem, you are enabling your brain to think in a new way and be prepared for even greater tasks in the future. It is no different than training your body to run a marathon. One great brain exercise is brainstorming. Doesn’t it just sound exciting?

When you brainstorm alone, you will often produce more creative and a great quantity of ideas than with group brainstorming. This can be attributed to the fact that you do not have to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings. You can thereby be more free thinking and get more creative ideas. However, brainstorming alone may not be as effect because you do not have the wealth of knowledge and experiences of a group to lean upon. Whether brainstorming alone or with a group, there are some key elements to a successful brainstorming session. One must remained focused on the identified problem. Secondly, all ideas should be considered and recorded. If the idea is bad, it can be thrown out later, but, at least, write it down. Lastly, and most importantly, brainstorming should be fun! Make a game out of your brainstorming session. Challenge yourself to see how many ideas you can create.

Another brain exercise that can increase your creativity is to actually create the puzzle you are trying to solve. Try creating a story about something seemingly insignificant. For example, spend a few moments looking round your current space. Search for the most interesting object you can find. Look for something that truly intrigues you. Now imagine there was a dark hidden story surrounding this object. In your head, create a story describing how you would keep its secret if an investigative reporter, a spy and a master criminal were out to get steal this object. By creating your own puzzles and just attempting creative though, you will exercise your creative mind.

A final brain exercise to increase creativity is to compare an unlikely pair of objects. To compare means to find similarities. You pair could be something like a Model T Ford and a basketball or air and a television. Then, just think about it. What about those two objects are the same? How are they alike in anyway? By being open to the exercise and truly trying to be creative in your thinking, you may actually come up with quite a few similarities. After you’ve surprised yourself the first time, challenge yourself to see if you can generate even more similarities between two objects, words, etc. that have even greater differences.

Knowing that you can complete these exercises will increase your creative esteem. You could be well on your way to becoming a creative genius by exercising your creative mind. These exercises won’t even cause you to break a sweat! By brainstorming, creating your own puzzles and comparing unlike objects you can increase your creative power! Which leaves only one question, what are you waiting for, genius?

Creativity for Hire

Yes! I'll paint on anything that doesn't move...er...that doesn't move too fast. To my surprise, I'm even making a living (of sorts) painting: murals and portraits mostly. The term "murals" loosely encompasses backyard walls, around doorways, the top of bathroom walls, a window bench, drawer fronts....did I leave out anything? Well, I once painted on a saw.

Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes!

Creativity Everyday

Boosting your creativity does not have to be a difficult task. Being a more creative person simple means getting in the habit of engaging in creative thought processes. There are many ways to increase the amount of times you engage in creative thought processes in each day. Some are easier than others, but none require any drastic life changes. For example, one simple way to boost your own creativity is to surround yourself with diverse individuals. Trying a new hobby is one day to get a double boost in creativity power. Not only will you meet new people with different backgrounds, personalities and experiences, but you’ll also gain the benefit of a new activity that occupies your mind from negative thoughts.

There are even other ways of boosting your creative powers that are easier than that. Spend time with children under the age of 6. Children are very creative. They are not inhibited by the worries of what others will think of them. This allows them to think freely and openly about all things. We lose this power as we become adults, but, by spending time with children, we are encouraged to revisit this part of ourselves. Fly a kite to bring back that childlike creative quality.

New experiences expand our creative power. Go to a cultural celebration or visit a museum featuring an exhibit for an artist you have never heard of. Listen to a new radio station or a band you never imagined you would enjoy. Just get out there and try something new. Watch a foreign film or even visit a foreign country. You can also try eating and drink different foods and beverages. Experience the new tastes and textures of foods from other countries, regions, and restaurants. If you visit buffets, try a little bit of everything. The new experiences boost your creative power. Walk in the woods and truly listen to the sounds, smell the air, feeling nature, and take it all in. Expand your mind by exercising all of your senses in a new environment.

Small changes in your current environment can also boost your creative power. Exercising regularly stimulates endorphins, which reduce stress, in the body. Not to mention, exercising also often leads to socializing with diverse people! It’s another two for one deal in boosting your creativity. Remember to take time for you to do something relaxing. Meditate, look at old family photos, take a bubble bath, or do whatever makes you feel good. Simply living your best life will broaden your horizons and boost your creativity.

While broadening your horizons, don’t forget to exercise your brain. Don’t fall into the trap of believing there is always only one right answer. Practice arguing both sides of an issue, all of the pros and cons. Thomas Watson, Sr., former President of IBM, said, “Success is on the far side of failure.” Be willing to be impractical and willing to make mistakes. Sometimes the best discoveries are found by accident. Don’t become so highly specialized that you aren’t willing to try new things. Attempting to see other points of view will increase your creativity. Encourage creative acts in others, and when you feel inspired yourself to be creative, act!

Boosting your creative power does not take much. By trying simple things such as a new hobby or spending time with a young child, you can enhance your creative abilities. Seeking new experiences and making small changes to your current environment like finding time to relax will also increase your creativity . Broaden your horizons while exercising your brain and the habit of being a creative thinker will follow.

Originality and Creativity for Hire

Creativity is not hindered by working for someone else nor is it hindered by the constraints of a commercial endeavor. Direction and challenges offer your creativity some boundaries. I love transforming a space with a mural. I also love it when the client loves it! In the case of commissioned work, part of the creative process is about giving service and creating what the client desires.

Happy Creating!

Original Thinking: Change Perspective

Look at your project from many different views. That’s my point with the optical illusions. What do you see…or what do you think you see? This is very important despite how silly it might feel.

How to see your project in a new light: ask yourself how it would look if you were an astronaut, or an 8 year old, or the Pope, or had all the money in the world, or had none. How do the other people involved see it? Compare your project to something completely unrelated: what’s the same about your project and your shoe, your dog, or the idea of tomorrow. These are all exercises in contrast and juxtaposition….great for fostering creativity,

Knowing that “thinking” is visual and symbolic, draw diagrams. Get some large pieces of paper(larger than 8.5x11). Put a circle in the middle and label that as your “problem”. Now draw a few lines radiating out from that circle. These are all aspects of that problem. At the end of those lines might be the different goals of each of those aspects…what ever may be suited to your particular problem. You can even see your problem as having a color or texture, size and shape.

After engaging in this activity, you will definitely see things you did not see before. By now you should be able to clearly make a few statements defining the problem. Write those down. Perhaps you have divided your problem into sections and can address each section separately. You are now at the point of…

Creativity is at it's best when directed. That's why I often relish the assignments of my clients. This mural was created for someone who wanted a Southwest landscape yet not a realistic one. The direction I receive from clients can be an interesting challenge, a challenge I wouldn't set for myself.

Original Thinking: The Importance of Incubation

The “Bed, Bath and Bus” theory of creativity. Some of you may have heard of it. If you haven't, it's the notion that the best ideas come when you least expect it, such as in the bath/shower, lying in bed or waiting for a bus.

Lets travel back in time to visit Archimedes, a Greek mathematician, philosopher, inventor and who experienced the first recorded incident of solving a problem in the bathtub. He is most famous for discovering the law of hydrostatics, sometimes known as 'Archimedes' principle', stating that a body immersed in fluid loses weight equal to the weight of the amount of fluid it displaces. The story goes that he was given the job of determining if a king's crown was really made of solid gold or partly of silver. He pondered the problem for some time. He was sitting in his bath one day when the idea struck him that different elements (such as gold vs. silver) would displace different amounts of water. So it was, an equal weight of silver displaces more water than gold.

The solution came to Archimedes when he was no longer working on the problem. He had thought about it and most likely gathered some information...then he took a break. His subconscious mind continued working, working without the constraint of conscious control. Our subconscious minds have a far greater capacity than we can possibly imagine! So, it is up to us to give the subconscious the room it needs to arrive at solutions to our problems.

I believe we need two characteristics in particular to make incubation successful: patience and belief. Both of these are necessary for you to walk away from a problem that means a lot to you, that you really want to solve or that has a deadline.

Patience is a challenge. Most of us want instant gratification. The media have trained us to want things quickly because that's how they deliver information to us. Be patient and allow the solution to come at the right time, which may not be right now. Assuming you have done some research, brainstormed and put some effort into this, patience will have it's rewards.

Belief is necessary for any success to happen. You must have belief in yourself, your creative abilities, your subconscious mind. Trust is another way to say it. Trust that you have done the work. Trust that you have looked at the problem from multiple viewpoints, that you have been open-minded and asked for input form others. I would also add that you should trust that the problem is worth solving! Yes, that the solution will be of benefit. It doesn't have to be of benefit to the entire world, but of real benefit to at least you.

One last thing to do. Assign this project to your subconscious. Literally tell your mind to take care of, then let it go.

I realize the subject here is creativity and problem solving. Doesn't this process sound a lot like using the Law of Attraction to reach your goals...well, that's also creativity! Use this for your goals. Visualize them and do some research as to what you really want. Assign the goal to your subconscious mind a let it go! Be patient, believe and see what happens!

7 Tips and Exercises to Boost Your Creativity

Follow a few proven steps and strategies to solve any problem.

Do you have a problem or project that has you stumped? Or maybe you are just not satisfied with the solutions you have so far. Use these suggestions to boost your creative power.

1.Gather Information: you might not have enough information about your project/problem to come up with a great creative solution.

Exercise: Go to a source of information you don’t typically use. When is the last time you went to a library? Is there a government agency that has related information? How about a local community college, is there an instructor that teaches something connected to your subject? Clerks at bookstores are often very helpful. There may be trade magazines addressing your area of interest.

2. Be Active: yes, you read correctly. Your brain uses a lot of oxygen and does not work well when undernourished.

Exercise: Go do something active and FUN! This will get the blood flowing and when you have fun, your creative juices start flowing. Do something that you haven’t done in long time: dance, roller skate, hike, ride horseback, garden, or ride a bike.

3. Change your viewpoint: As Einstein is quoted as saying: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Your perception determines the path to a problem’s solution.

Exercise: Look at your problem from another point of view. What would your problem look like if you were a different person? Imagine…from the viewpoint of a child, a co-worker, your dog, a gambler, a professional athlete, etc. This may sound silly, the point is to shake up your normal routine and help your brain create new pathways of thought.

4. Compare and Contrast: Compare your problem/issue/project to something very different; an object or a concept. Through juxtaposition, you may find combinations you never saw before.

Exercise: Grab a blank sheet of paper. Write your problem at the top. Next to it write an unrelated idea such as “shoe”, “the national highway system”, “a candy bar”, “cat litter”….you get the idea! Underneath write every way you can think that these two things are alike. Remember to have fun. This is simply another method of changing your viewpoint as well as generating more ideas.

5. Be Visual: Thinking is very fluid and visual, making use of symbols and pictures instead of words. Give your problem a color…even a smell! What shape is it? What does it feel like to the touch?

Exercise: This is best done with a large sheet of paper or a white board. Use a regular piece of paper if that’s all you have. Draw a rectangle in the center and label it with your problem/project. Draw at least 5-6 radiating lines coming out from the box. Label these lines as different aspects of your project. For instance, if the problem is Planning a Wedding on a Tight Budget, some of the radiating lines could be Food, Entertainment, and Wedding Dress. If the problem is Building a Team at work, some of the lines could be Collaboration, Productivity, and Communication. At the end of each line write whatever you think needs to happen with that area. This exercise can help you see the big picture as well as prioritize all the parts of your project.

6. Generate LOTS of ideas: You have gathered information, pumped up your enthusiasm and reviewed your problem from many angles. It’s time to really let loose with ideas.

Exercise: Brainstorm! I mean REALLY brainstorm. Don’t just toss out a handful of ideas and call it quits. Put some energy into it. Collaboration is good for this as everyone will get some different ideas. Hand everyone a piece of paper (preferably large, that you can stick to the wall). Set a time limit. Allow enough time to get plenty of ideas but not so much time that you judge the ideas coming out of you (5-10 minutes). Also set a goal for the number ideas, a goal that will force you to work fast. Speed is important as well as reserving any judgment.

7. Give it to your subconscious: Let you subconscious mind have another crack at it. You have plenty of information and ideas. It may be challenging to pick the best course of action.

Exercise: Sleep on it! Let your mind have it while you are resting. For this to really work you must do a review just before going to bed and place a notebook by your bed so you can jot down ideas if you wake up during the night and first thing in the morning. Intend that you will have some answers when you wake up. As you wake up, you may have to catch the ideas in the half-awake state. The notebook is right beside you so you won’t lose any good thoughts.

Congratulations! You came up with some very creative solutions to your project.

You can repeat this process with any subject.

Art and I...

Who would I be without my art? I often ask myself that question. I am so intertwined with art as part of my self-definition. I think about it, do it, look at it...have it hanging all over my house. I have taught it and talked about it. Art has been often been my entertainment and my comfort.

There have been many periods in my life when I did not create anything ,yet art was still there for me. What a great gift I was given. Another benefit is how good it feels when I finish a project for a client and they love it and shower me with praise...wow! Everyone should be able to experience the joy of creation and the joy others have for that creation.

Happy Creating!

Current Press Release

Lucretia Torva, Artist, Makes it Her Business to Bring Out the Creative Genius in Everyone.

Lucretia Torva combines her experiences as a college teacher and a successful artist to foster creative thinking as a key to personal and professional growth and success. She is reaching people outside of the visual arts and through the Internet.

Phoenix, AZ July3, 2007 – Lucretia Torva is expanding her inspiring philosophy on creativity to reach beyond her visual arts profession and her hometown. In an effort to reach anyone wanting to enhance their creative abilities, she has taken to the Internet and is promoting her first site specifically with creativity in mind.

Ms. Torva has been selling her artwork since she was an undergraduate art student at U. of Illinois 25 years ago. She has taught a variety of college level art courses where she saw the positive effects of creativity on her students. She is able to be creative on demand as a professional mural and decorative painter. This ability is necessary for success in any area from homemaking to the corporate world to being an entrepreneur. She intends to assist people in reaching their true creative powers.

Many creativity concepts and exercises are taught via audio and home study courses. For those individuals who want a more personalized experience, Ms. Torva provides one-on-one and group coaching. She is also developing workshops with experiential components.

The importance of creative thinking cannot be understated. Creative problem solving is the cornerstone of any advancement and improvement. Ms. Torva realized she had a mission when so many people, both students and clients, expressed their desire to be creative, just like her. She has learned to be creative with some techniques and habits of thinking. These can be learned and practiced by anyone.

Ms. Torva views creativity as not only a problem solving tool, but as a personal development vehicle. Through the creative process, people gain insight into their individual talents then enhance those unique qualities.

For additional information on creativity coaching and instruction contact Lucretia Torva at 480-251-3817. To be added to her list and receive some tips on creativity go to www.creativepowergenius.com. Her workshops will initially be held in the Phoenix area and expand according to demand.

Creativity: Suggestions from Personal Experience.

Outdoor Mural by Lucretia Torva

Why is it that ideas can flow so freely sometimes and then be as elusive as a leaf floating down a stream? I've wondered that a lot when I was under a deadline, either at school or more recently for my livelihood.

Over the years I have used a few tricks to get me unstuck when I absolutely had to be creative at that moment with no option of waiting. The goal is to get the mind off the track it is on...that's why you feel stuck. Your mind is closed in on one solution, one path....as if it's a horse wearing blinders.

The first order of business is to relax and know that the good ideas are just waiting to come out. Remind yourself that you are a creative genius. Your mind is a miracle and it's actually at your command. Belief is important, just as it is with any successful endeavor. It's also time for a state change, meaning a physical change of state. Go walk around the block. Execute some jumping jacks. I like to play a couple good dancing tunes and have some fun with it. Standing, stretching and walking around the room may be enough.

You should be in a more positive mental frame of mind now. You know you can come up with some ideas and you are even looking forward to the process. You might do a quick review of your project, not a lengthy review. Flip though the plans, proposals, pictures, ad copy, whatever.

Do a small word association game: write down one word having to do with your project. For example, perhaps I need to create a landscape piece for a client. I'll write the word landscape at the top of the paper, then quickly write down words that come to my mind. I'll have a list of words about color or actual places or kinds of foliage or weather, etc. You see, even though my project is visual, I use word association to get ideas. Try this with several aspects of you project/problem. Does your project have a name? Use that name for a word association exercise.

If I still need more input, I'll ask myself some questions. Who is this for? What is the goal? What if I changed the whole thing? What would it look like? What really matters? I'll even ask myself questions like: What if I don't get this done? At least I'll find out how important it is!

OK, so I need a bit more help. Here's where I'll lean back in my chair, close my eyes and take a few minutes to visualize. What am I visualizing? I'm visualizing delivering the project. Why? Perhaps I will see into the future as to what the final product looks like! Remember, this is a game. Have fun and you might come up with something really insightful.

I know there's lots of good ideas flowing, but just in case you need some more help. I can only remember having to do something like this once. A good idea usually comes in the first or second exercise. You want at least 6 small (maybe 3x3) pieces of paper. Take your lists you just wrote and tear them into pieces so you can still read them. Better yet, you can create some more words and/or pictures. Use shapes or colors to represent parts of your project. Play mix-n-match with these papers. Shuffle them. Drop them on the floor and see where they end up. You could even cut out relevant magazine pictures and do this activity. You'll have some great ideas by now, you won't have to go this far!

Relaxing is very important. Stress tightens everything including your creativity. Relaxation helps those creative juices to flow.